Rabbi Dina Brawer visits the Jewish community in Moldova, witnessing the transformative impact that World Jewish Relief’s Employment and Livelihoods programs have on individuals and on the Jewish community at large. While providing job-specific skills training and mentorship so that individuals are empowered to grow their economic opportunities, the program not only fosters a sense of Jewish community for isolated individuals, but also facilitates the development of infrastructure which is key to Jewish education, socializing and bonding.

This year, Earth Day coincides with the eve of Passover, inviting us to contemplate the link between the two. Passover, possibly the moment of peak consumerism in the Jewish calendar, seems to require such quantities of matzah, wine and special ingredients, in addition to an array of dedicated kitchen tools and disposable items for large Seder gatherings. It is a time when I find it harder to maintain my standards for reducing waste and recycling and I can see it in the amount of trash we generate in one week.

World Jewish Relief and The Association of Jewish Refugees (AJR) held a commemorative service in London to mark the 85th anniversary of the Kindertransport.